Unorganized Thoughts

I've been thinking about the trailer I watched yesterday and then shared with all of you. I have many thoughts and know there are many different reactions-- even in me!-- to what is said.

My first response is to get annoyed when I feel that I am being confronted with an agenda, until I realize that this reaction is because of growing up in a humanistic culture that tells me "agenda is bad." Agenda in and of itself isn't evil. Jesus had an agenda: to save mankind. We all have agendas. Mine, unfortunately, is too often to get my children to make my day pleasant. That's a bad agenda. I am trying to make the agenda of my life to know Jesus and am working daily to make the smaller agendas within that over-arching agenda Christ-like. This does impact my speech, behavior, and convictions in every sphere of life, and it's a good agenda so that's OK. If the agenda of this particular movie is to bash American medicine, I'm not a fan; if the movie is intended to educate women, I'm all for it. (I'm not sure it will, but perhaps that's my pessimism speaking.)

My second response to this is, "Yes!" I am guessing there are too many OB-GYNs who opt for C-sections not just because of the convenience or for insurance reasons, but also because of what it means for their pocketbook. (Even if there was only one OB-GYN with such an agenda, that's too many, in my humble opinion!) I think it might be true that a regular labor and delivery floor doesn't bring in much revenue, but that an OR sure does. The more medical intervention, the higher the cost. I know I look at my hospital bill with Gabriel compared to my independent birth center delivery bill with Bronwyn, and I must say that my eyes get big at the price difference. Modern medicine costs a lot and I think we should try to save the $$$ for when needed. (I realize that "need" is very relative, depending on what doctor and/or woman you're talking to, which is one of the major complications in all of this.)

My third response is to say very heartily that I am so thankful for medical advances. I can almost say I'm even glad for pitocin , since there would have otherwise been a C-section for me when delivering Gabriel (it may have been a C-section even with pitocin if I hadn't had midwives who really took my wishes into consideration). Because of my anemia, I now require pitocin shots immediately after birth; after Jackson's birth I needed an emergency IV with fluid because I hemorrhaged so suddenly and badly. And you'd better believe that as I sit here at 19 weeks pregnant with a real possibility of pre-term labor, I'm beyond grateful that hospitals can now regularly sustain a 24-week gestation baby-- sometimes even a 23-week'er. What a truly amazing blessing.

My fourth response is that I really like the last thing the one doctor said: Deliver at home, but within 15 minutes of a hospital. I'm not saying people have to deliver at home (I'm not to the place where I can handle the idea of the mess and my husband's not to the place where he can handle any of it!), but I think there's something to be said for approaching pregnancy as a natural thing. That doctor's attitude was a reasonable one and I appreciated it. Leave the procedures and medicines for when they are necessary-- not for when they're more convenient or comfortable and can actually cause more problems than they're worth.

I will say that I am recently discovering how poorly educated many women are when it comes to pregnancy and delivery. I think I'm just now realizing this because I've generally been surrounded by mothers who are deeply invested and have gladly sacrificed time toward learning about different procedures, medicines, side-effects, emergency-situations, etc. In these last several weeks, per recommendation from my doctor, I've hit up some pregnancy forums (you know: find women who have faced similar situations and see what they have done/didn't do that may have helped). I am amazed as I browse these forums by some of the things women are saying and doing. It has not been uncommon for me to read about women who are having their membranes stripped at 35 and 36 weeks because they're "uncomfortable" and want to be done with pregnancy. I certainly appreciate that there are huge discomforts and inconveniences to pregnancy, but I am shocked that more women don't have doctors who are saying, "Honey, when you signed on, you signed on for 40 weeks. Let's talk about stripping membranes when you're 40 weeks." I'm even more shocked that these doctors don't take the time to tell these women what a difference those last 4-5 weeks can make for the baby and that the process shouldn't be cut short unless necessary for the survival of baby and/or mother; they just strip her membranes because she asked and then she maybe finds out via an online forum that it may not have been the best decision. So, yes, if a movie like this can help educate us moms, I'm all for it.

One thing I've joked about over these past 7 weeks is that after listening to doctors, radiologists, and specialists, I have to then figure out whether it's them talking or their malpractice insurance talking! Yes, I'm making light of it, but there's some truth in this. I often wonder how many times doctors turn to medical procedures they wouldn't personally choose because our American culture values medical science over God's design.

Those are just some thoughts from me. Not very organized, but there nonetheless. I'd love to hear more from others.

On an entirely different note, I tried sitting outside in the beautiful sun today two different times in two different locations. Both times I endured about 30 minutes of yellow jackets landing on my shoulders, elbows, nose, hair, chair, book, etc. before I finally got too freaked out by the increasingly real probability of getting stung and I ran inside like the big ol' scaredy cat that I am. To that end, I am lodging my first official complaint about these products, which I otherwise love: I think bees love them, too.